What We Believe

Article III: Our Beliefs

SECTION 1: THE SCRIPTURESWe believe the Bible to be the verbally inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings, and the supreme and final authority in doctrine and practice (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:21; John 17:17).

SECTION 2: THE GODHEADWe believe in one God eternally existing in three equal persons; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each has the same nature and attributes, but is distinct in office and activity (Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14).

SECTION 3: THE PERSON AND WORK OF CHRISTWe believe the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, in order that he might reveal God and redeem sinful man. We believe He accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice. We believe our redemption and salvation are guaranteed by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (John 1:1, 14, 18; Luke 1:35; Romans 3:24-26, 4:25). We believe the Lord Jesus Christ is now in heaven, exalted to the right hand of God where, as High Priest to His people, He fulfills the ministry of intercession and advocacy (Hebrews 1:3, 3:1, 7:23-25; I John 2:1-2).

SECTION 4: THE PERSON AND WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRITWe believe God and the Holy Spirit is a person who restrains evil in the world and convicts men of sin. He also regenerates those who receive Christ as their Savior, baptizes them into the Church, the Body of Christ, indwells them permanently, seals them unto the day of redemption, bestows spiritual gifts on each one, and fills those yielded to Him (John 16:7-11; John 3:8; I Corinthians 12:4-11, 13; John 14:16-17; Ephesians 4:30, 5:18).

SECTION 5: ANGELS, FALLEN AND UNFALLENWe believe angels are spiritual beings who were created as sinless personalities and that they occupy different orders and ranks. They presently exist in both fallen and unfallen states, the former including Satan and his angels (Hebrews 1:13-14; II Peter 2:4; Revelations 7:12). We believe Satan, by his own choice, the enemy of God and His people, is the originator of sin that he led our first parents into sin and now rules as “the god of this world”. We believe he was judged at the cross and that ultimately he will be cast into the Lake of Fire (Isaiah 14:12-14; Genesis 3:1-19; Hebrews 2:14; Revelations 20:10).

SECTION 6: CREATIONWe believe God created all things in heaven and earth and that they exist by His power (Genesis 1:1; Colossians 1:16-17). We believe man was created innocent and in the image and likeness of God but that he sinned, bringing both physical and spiritual death to himself and his posterity. We believe man has inherited a sinful nature, is alienated from God, and is in need of salvation (Genesis 1:27, 2:17, 3:19; Ephesians 2:13).

SECTION 7: SALVATIONWe believe salvation is a sovereign gift of God and is received by man through personal faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for sin. We believe man is justified by grace through faith apart from works (Acts 13:38-39; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 1:4-5, 2:8-10). We believe all true believers elect of God, once saved, are kept secure in Christ forever (Romans 8:1, 29-30, 38-39; John 10:27-30).

SECTION 8: SANCTIFICATIONWe believe sanctification, which is a setting apart unto God, is positional, progressive, and ultimate. Positionally, it is already complete since the believer is in Christ and is set apart unto God as Christ is set apart unto God. Since the Christian retains his sinful nature, however, there is need for progressive sanctification whereby he grows in grace by the power of the Spirit. Ultimately, the child of God will be set apart from sin in his practice (as he is now in this position in Christ) when he is taken to be with Christ and shall be like him (John 17:17; II Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 5:25-27; I Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 10:10, 14).

SECTION 9: THE CHURCHWe believe the Church, the Body and Bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism, made up of all born-again persons. We believe the Church began at Pentecost and that a believer is placed into the Church by the baptizing work of the Holy Spirit. We believe the Church is distinct from Israel (Ephesians 1:22-23; I Corinthians 12-13, 10:32). We believe the local church is an assembly of professed believers in Jesus Christ who are voluntarily joined together in one locality for the purposes of worship, prayer, study of the Word of God, observance of the ordinances, Christian fellowship, equipping for and practice of Kingdom service, specifically stewarding our lives for the purpose of fulfilling the Great Commission (Acts 2:42-47; I Corinthians 1:1-2; Ephesians 4:11-13; Matthew 16:18, 28:19-20). We also recognize Jesus Christ as the Senior Pastor of this church.

SECTION 10: THE ORDINANCES OF BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPERWe believe Christ instituted the ordinances of water baptism and the Lord's Supper, both of which are to be observed by believers until He returns (Matthew 28:19-20; I Corinthians 11:23-26). We believe by water baptism a believer is publicly identified with his Savior and that infants of believing parents may be dedicated to the Lord but should not be baptized until they can personally articulate their faith and the purpose of baptism. We believe the Lord's Supper is a memorial of Christ's death, the elements being symbols of His body and blood. We believe every Christian has a right to partake of the elements of the Lord's Supper but that participation must always be preceded by solemn self-examination.

SECTION 11: THE SECOND COMING OF CHRISTWe believe in the personal, imminent coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for the Church. The second coming will be followed by the tribulation on earth and will culminate in the return of Christ to earth to set up His millennial kingdom (I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Philippians 3:20; Matthew 24:15-31; Zechariah 14:4-11; Revelation 20:1-6).

SECTION 12: THE ETERNAL STATEWe believe the souls of believers in Jesus Christ do, at death, immediately pass into His presence, and there remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the body at His coming for the Church, when soul and body reunited shall be associated with Him forever in glory. We believe the souls of unbelievers remain after death in constant misery in Hades until the final judgment of the Great White throne at the close of the millennium when soul and body reunited shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to be punished with everlasting separation from the presence of the Lord (Luke 16:19-26; 23:43; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Revelation 20:11-15).